At the same time Fred Ritchin began his three-and-a-half-year tenure as
picture editor for the The New York Times Magazine, he started teaching at
the International Center of Photography (ICP) School in New York. In the
newsroom in 1979, there were specific expectations about ho w photographs
were supposed to be used. But Ritchin found that experimentation could
flourish in his classroom.

Ritchin is now the dean emeritus at the ICP. “The point of teaching is to openup possibilities. For 40 years, I’ve tried to equip students to think differently,understand what’s already been done, understand why it’s powerful and alsowhat makes it weak. Then I encourage them to chart their own path.”In two of his courses—”Imaging and Ideas” and “Image Strategies forHuman Rights”—he challenges students to consider the way that differentkinds of visuals can impact issues like climate change. He asks studentsthese questions: How would they photograph them? How would theydistribute and contextualize them?

He also wants students to recognize the possibilities of creatingdigital imagery. For one assignment, Ritchin asks the class to makeportraits of people, and then record their subjects speaking aboutwhether or not the images are good representations of them. Thisexperiment is meant to highlight the differentapproaches that photographers can take in thedigital environment.

Ritchin taught for 23 years at New York
University’s Tisch School of the Arts and
continues to teach at the Magnum Foundation’s
Photography and Social Justice Program. He’s
spent hours on the front lines of the digital
media revolution. He was hired by The New York Times 25 years ago to create
a prototype multimedia version of the newspaper. In 1996, Ritchin made a
nonlinear web documentary called “Bosnia: Uncertain Paths to Peace” with
photographer Gilles Peress that was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for
Public Service. He’s curated exhibitions that explore the future of imagery and
has authored three books on the subject, including the 2013 book Bending
the Frame: Photojournalism, Documentary, and the Citizen.

For Ritchin, the evolution of photography isn’t just about new hardware
and software. He says, “It’s having new ideas, new ways of self-expression
and new ways of communicating to people.” EDU

— Mindy Charski

Star Teacher: Fred Ritchin

Since 2008, Visura has been helping photo-

journalists across the world tell their storiesand increase the visibility of their work. Whilethe platform has evolved over the past decade toadapt to the changing needs of the industry, the company is still driven byits core mission: “To increase the quality, value and diversity of the profes-sional content and talent found online today.”Today, Visura’s digital platform, Visura.co, offers its members a wayto build websites, and a career development program with grants,scholarships and exhibitions to support visual storytellers. PDNedu caughtup with Adriana Teresa Letorney, co-founder of Visura, to learn more.

PDNedu: When you started Visura, did you imagine that it would growand evolve in the ways it has?

Adriana Teresa Letorney: The platform’s evolution reflects our community’s
needs, feedback and vision. The growth is a sign that Visura is a community
of like-minded professionals and organizations who deeply value visual
storytelling and its impact on society. Many members share an interest
in addressing key challenges our industry currently faces, like increasing
diversity, increasing the access to professional content and talent, reducing
the costs aspiring media professionals invest to access paid opportunities,
and redefining the business of selling photos to ensure everyone involved in
the process can make a sustainable living. The Visura community is working
to build a new infrastructure to help connect artists and buyers worldwide.

PDNedu: When you reflect on the impact of Visura, what accomplish-ments are you most proud of?

ATL: We launched the Visura.co digital platform in 2008, and it now serves
over 1,500 visual storytellers from over 90 countries. Visura is a team of
less than five people led by me, a Hispanic woman who refused to let her
experience of feeling discriminated stop her from fighting to have a voice
within the industry. We need to increase diversity in as many rooms as
possible in media organizations. I am not afraid to take a stand if it means
that more people with merit will further their work and career, while also
making a sustainable living.

Through Visura, members also have an online presence without
jeopardizing the exclusivity or value of their work. They have different
ways they can share exclusive stories without having to upload content
to social media or contest platforms. For $95 per year, a visual storyteller
can design their website with a custom URL, share public and exclusive
work and news, access opportunities and manage their career. The
average visual storyteller is making $30k a year and investing a third of
that amount in production, digital presence, networking and access to
opportunities. The Visura platform is working to offer one solution to
reduce those expenses.

I am focused on doing whatever it takes to create a better
work landscape for the media industry. I love what I do. The Visura
community inspires me every day.

PDNedu: Can photography students use the platform and get involved?

ATL: Absolutely, the Visura platform welcomes students and emerging
talent worldwide. I am dedicated to empowering students through the
platform, which also serves as an educational resource for research,
discovery and inspiration. You can connect with other members directly
through the platform. I find that our community is very accessible. ( Write
to us at info@visura.com.)

PDNedu: What’s next for Visura?

ATL: Visura and Powerhouse Arena (a bookstore and event space in
Brooklyn) are thrilled to announce the Visura Salon Series at Under the
Arch, the new lounge at Powerhouse. The Visura Salon Series will take
place on the second Tuesday of every month and is a free, public event that
discusses and celebrates new and successful forms of storytelling being
deployed today.

PDNedu: Is there anything else you would like to share with the studentphotography community?

ATL: Education is the one thing no one can take away from you. Study, ask
questions and learn about ethics, approach, technique, etc. And please be
kind. It goes a long way. EDU